Imported User:
All the 25 local government areas in Niger are to spend over N50.3 billion for their capital and recurrent expenditures in 2012.
The state Commissioner for Local Government, Alhaji Yusuf Tagwai made this known on Thursday in Minna.
Tagwai said that the councils’ recurrent and capital expenditures were expected to gulp N30.9 billion and N19.4 billion respectively.
He said that the budget would be financed from the statutory grant of N42.3 billion, internally generated revenue of N1.4 billion, and capital receipt of N5.7 billion.
The commissioner said that the fund would also be sourced from two per cent contribution from the councils N846.5 million and 10 per cent council due from the state revenue.
He said that N6.4 billion would be allocated to economic sector from the capital expenditure, and the social sector would receive N4 billion.
The commissioner said that the administrative sector would gulp N4.2 billion, while N61.7 million was earmarked for loan repayment.
He said that the councils would construct modern garages for trailers, new markets, poultry and fish farms as well as procurement of tractors.
Tagwai said that the projects would be handled through the Public-Private-Partnership policy, to give the councils the opportunities to meet the basic requirements for the development of their areas.
He said that the councils had been barred from borrowing from commercial banks and other financial institutions without the approval of the governor or the Commissioner for Local Governments.
“All expenditure above N20 million must be approved by the governor and such application, in the case of physical projects, should be accompanied by well articulated bills of quantities, structural and architectural designs,`` Tagwai said.
He said that staff of Suleja Local Government area had not received their salaries and allowances for over three months, due to continued withholding of their funds by the Federal Government. (NAN)
